Cliffe Castle Park in Keighley is being restored with funds from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Work started on site in June and I’m following progress and sketching whenever I can.

I’m sure this isn’t in fact the biggest plant pot in the world, but it is truly enormous. It’s the container that will be home to a Norfolk Island Pine, that will stand inside the centre of the new glasshouses where it will be accomodated under a glass dome. It’s exciting to be able to see elements of the buildings on the top terrace taking shape – until now they’ve just been drawings on paper and I’ve only been able to imagine them in my mind’s eye, but now it’s beginning to be possible to see the scale, and how everything will fit together.

I’m still not quite sure what the pine tree will look like exactly; suppliers are being sought, and when I researched Norfolk Island Pine on the internet I found pictures that vary so much that I thought I was looking at different species of tree. But it sounds impressive; it’s described as “a statuesque indoor tree with soft green needles and a slow growing habit. Originally discovered on Norfolk Island in the Pacific between Australia and New Zealand. Prefers bright, indirect light and will tolerate some direct light.” Think of a Christmas tree – Norfolk Island Pines are sometimes used as live Christmas trees (a much nicer idea than cutting down a living tree).

It’s exciting to think that there will once again be glasshouses at Cliffe Castle that can show plant specimens as large and impressive as this.

More updates on the work of the conservation project, photos, plans, and background information at: https://m.facebook.com/Cliffe-Castle-Heritage-Lottery-Bid-304048249751094, at the Cliffe Castle Park Conservation Group website and on the Parks Service page of Bradford Leisure Services.